Back workout for muscle growth
Back muscles are certainly the most difficult ones to activated correctly, in order to develop them. The combination of movement and exercises we do, are often a very strong mechanical position. To target muscle growth, we have to focus on stimulating, the part we want to improve.
Thinking about a lat machine, with feet solid on the floor pressing against the leg pad, a bent over row where we sit, on legs and lower back, a row machine with triangle, and legs to hold on the movement. The most common factor among all of these exercises, it’s the simplicity to cheat the movement, to lift more weight. That mechanical tension of using your body, to stabilise a movement/lift.
On the lat machine it is common to press through your feet and mechanically dragging down the bar, using lower back and arms muscles.
On a bent over row comes easy, pulling with biceps while engaging traps and lower back/spine erector.
On a seated row machine, we stand on our legs solid to to tense the lower back and facilitate the movement.
My suggestion to grow back muscles… start from the beginning and build the movement from zero. Back muscles are activated by the pulling action, of the elbows towards our back. Therefore you will have to always tense your core, relax your traps, and pull your elbows towards your hips. That is one of the foundation, to avoid bicep pulling through your hands. At the same time, you must feel a burning sensation on those muscles. You can also retract your shoulder blades, to engage your back.
TO DO STUFF FOR BACK WORK
Elbows drags towards your back, not your hands.
Shoulders and neck must be relaxed and non elevated.
Shoulder blade retractions
Lat engages with elbow pointing the hip
Make sure you are not using biceps.
Do not stand or pull with your spine erector.
Keep your glutes and core tensed.
Focus on feeling more your muscle activating, than just lifting.
When you feel your muscle comfortably activating, tensing and burning while training, you are ready to improve your performance.
Back workout are very easy to extend to heavy weights, make sure you stay within a back workout, boundaries.